Improvement in projectiles for rifled ordnance



.1. W. COCHRAN.

Shell.

No. 26,33?. Patented Dm'. (i, 1859.

UNITED STATES PATENT.

IMPROVEMENT lN PROJECTILES FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE.

Speritit-alion l'oltning part ol` ln'ttrrs Patent No. 26,337, dall-d llrecnillel'li, lift).

le it known that l, .lonN XYicns'rnn totn'- RAN, of the city, county, and State ol' New York, have invented a new and useful 1mprovement in lrojeet iles l'orliticd Ordnance; and l do hereby declare that the following is a l'uil, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part oi1 this speciiieation, in which Figure it isa central longitudinal section of a percussion-shell with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section ol' the same in the plane indicated by the line .r .r in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an exterior longitudinal view ot' the body ofthe shell. Fig. t is an exterior view ot' the double case.

Similar letters ol' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several tigures.

My invention consists iu fitting a projectile with a hollow case, jacket', or band ot' metal, having within it a chamber l'or the reception ot' gnnpowder, guncotton, or other explo sive substance to be ignited by tire from the charge ot' the gun, for the purpose el' causing the said case, jacket, or band to be at the saine time expanded toward theI bore and ritiegrooves oi' the gun and compressed around the projectile, and thereby preventing windage between the project i le and theborcand grooves, and causing the rotary motion derived bythe case, jacket, or band from the rifle-grooves to be imparted to the projectile.

It also consists in thc employment, in coinbination with an expandingjacket or ease applied to a projectile, ot' an outer covering ol copper or other wire cloth to constitute a packing between its exterior surface and the bore and grooves ot' the gun.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In applying the invention to projectiles of elongated or partly-cylindrical form, as il1ustrated inthe drawings, ,1f make that portion b b of the projectile commencing at the rear and extending forward to or nearly to where the conical or conoidal part commences ot' cylindrical form, but much smaller than the bore ofthe gun, leaving a broad shoulder, n, in front of it, as shown in Figs. l. and 2. To this part b b ofthe projectile thejacket A is litted to slip on easily l'rom the rear, saidjacket being composed ot' an inner cylinder, e, and an entier cylinder, d, united at their iront ends by a liange or ring, c, and having their ends connected by a breech-piece., which covers the rear end or base of the projectile. The space `i, between thc cylinders e d, constitutes the chamber for powder or other explosive material. The external cylinder, 7, has such a diameter that when the outer covering, g, ot'wile cloth is applied the jacket will pass easily along the bore ot' the gun. This covering is soldered to the outer cylinder, (l, at each end. ,lhc cylinders c' l may be made ot' any light dnctile metal, as sheet copper or brass, or tinplate; and to strengthen the jacket sniieiently to prevent its being injured by rough handling, I propose to employ between the cylinders awire, l1, of suiiieient thickness to till the space i, coiled two or three times round within the said space, and soldered to one of the cylinders. The outer cylinder is provided with a number of very small holes, la 1.', l'or the env trance ol' tire from the charge otl the gun to the chamber i. rlhese holes are lett open, but a. larger hole provided for charging the chamber t' is closed. In the example rejiresentcd the breceh-pieeefis furnished with a screwed stem, j, which screws into a tapped hole in the rear ofthe projectile, to attach thc jacket thereto; but such attachment, though serv ing int'allibly to prevent the jacket coming oft" during tin` tlight ofthe projectile, may not be absolutely necessary.

lhehollow case 0r jacket, crmstructed as above described, need not be applied to the projectile till just before its insertion in the gun; and as, owing to the heavincss of the projectiles and the lightness ot' the jackets, the latter would be liable to be broken or bruised if transported upon the iorincr, T. propose to pack the jackets separately from the projee` tiles for transportation. The projectile with the jacket on may be inserted at the breechor muzzle ofthe gun, but the jacket is applicable with greater advantage to projectiles for muzzle-loading guns. W'hen the gun is tired, the tire from the charge passes between the bore and the cxterioi: ot' the jacket and through the meshes of the wire-cloth and the holes l; l; to the chamber i, probably bet'ore the projectile starts, or at any rate before it has moved far,

and so sets fire instantaneously to the whole of 1 orother lubricating material, sneli chamber to the charge in the said chamber i, which, by its explosion, expands the outer cylinder, d, toward the bore and causes it and its packing g to lill the bore and grooves, and compresses the inner one, c, tightly around the projectile, thus preventing windage and causing the jacket to derive a rotary motion from the grooves and impart the saine tothe projectile.

VIt' the outer cylinder, d, he iliade of copper or any very dnctile inetal or alloy, the packing otwire-cloth may not be absolutely necessary to iill the bore and grooves; but] coir sider the use of sneh packing to he highly advantageous in any ease.

instead ofa jacket, one or more hollow bands Yfilled with powdennlay be used, fitted to g roov es provided for them inthe projectile. A single hollow band of this kind may be applied to a j spherical projectile.

The hollow case, jacket, or hand may have provided within it a ehaniherto contain water burst when the gun is fired.

That I elaini as my invention, and desire to seenre by Letters Patent, is-

. l. Fitting' n projectile with n hollow case.

jacket, or band containing gunpowder or other explosive material ,whieln when ignited by the liring of the charge of the gl1n,\vill, by its explosion, Ianse the said case, jacket. or hand to be expanded toward the here ol' the gun, and to he compressed around the projectile, suhstantially as and l'or the purposes herein set forth,

2. ln combination with :in expanding ease,

jacket, or band applied to a projeetile, the

use oi'an outer covering of wire-cloth to con stitznte a packing, substantially as and for the purpose herein speeiiicd.

J. \V. COCHRAN. \\"itnesses:

Mien. lllunns, J. XV. Mom'xnrx. 

